Birmingham - Istanbul - Kuala Lumpur - Adelaide

It was time to leave the UK and head back to Adelaide. I arrived in Birmingham with plenty of time before my flight.  I found the best vantage point I could, but it was directly into the sun.

Birmingham has all the usual budget and holiday charter airlines, but also has a few interesting airlines as well.  Shortly after I arrived, a SunExpress Boeing 737 TC-SOA arrived, quickly followed by a SunWing Airlines example C-FYJD. Brussels Airlines flies a regular scheduled service using an Airbus A319 OO-SSJ.  The aircraft I was waiting for arrived shortly after, a Turkish airlines Airbus A321NEO TC-LSY.

Other arrivals included TBM-930 N930DH and Embraer 550 9H-RFX

RAF Brize Norton is currently closed, having it's runway resurfaced so it's Airbus A400Ms are operating out of other airports.  Two were at Birmingham ZM415 and ZM421

On the far side of the airfield were two more Boeing 737s 9H-ELF, a BBJ and F-HIQE of ASL Airlines, a freighter.

My transit through Istanbul was at night, so no photos, and I arrived in Kuala Lumpur shortly before sunset.  I did see a few planes while I was there, including Starlux Airlines Airbus A3321NEO B-58211, Himalaya Airlines Airbus A320 9N-ALM, Vietnam airlines Airbus A321 VN-A392, Saudia Boeing 777 HZ-AK126 and just as the light was fading a Kargo Xpress Boeing 737 freighter 9M-KXP

Imperial War Museum Duxford - Part 6 - AirSpace Hangar

The AirSpace Hanger is the largest hangar in the museum, and has a gallery on three sides allowing an elevated view.  Once again, the planes are really crammed in.   The following photos give a good appreciation of the size of the hangar and the variety of planes on display. They include a Concorde, a Sunderland flying boat, a Lancaster, both a Comet and a York airliner, a Vulcan and a Hastings, all big aeroplanes in their own right.  It is a very impressive display  

I also took some photos of individual aircraft where I could.  Planes on display that were used up to and including WWII include Mosquito TT35 TA719,  Lysander V9673, DH-82A Tiger Moth N6635, Oxford V3388 and Magister G-AFBS

Amongst the post war aircraft were  Harrier GR3 XZ133, CF-100 Canuck 18393, Vulcan B2 XJ824, Canberra B2 WH725, Lightning F1 XM135, Wessex HAS1 XS863, Dove G-ALFU and Hastings C1 TG528

In the conservation space, away from the main display, was Victor B(K)1A XH648, newly restored and ready to go on display. Mind you  I have no idea how or where they will fit it in!

This is the final instalment of my visit to the Imperial War Museum.  It really was the aviation highlight of the trip. 

 

Imperial War Museum Duxford - Part 5 - Flight Hangar

There were a number of aircraft being pulled out of the flight hanger when we got there, so I quickly took what photos I could and then headed into the hanger.  Again I was going to be frustrated.  A single walkway was marked across the hanger, but at least the planes weren't quite as tightly packed in as the previous hangar.. 

There were Spitfires here too.  Two mark Vs JG891 (G-LFVC) and BM597 (G-MKVB) and a  two seater T IX PT462 (G-CTIX)

There were four Curtis Hawk variants, two P-36 Hawks 38-0210 (G-CIXJ) painted in US Army colours  and No 82 (G-CCVH) painted as French Air Force, and two P-40 Warhawks 41-19841 (G-CGZP) in USAF colours and 41-13357 (G-CIIO) in bare metal.

Harvard types were also here, with a T-6 Harvard IV 1747 (G-BGPB) painted as Portuguese Air Force, an AT-16 Harvard II FE992 (G-BDAM) and an NA-64 Yale 3349 (G-BYNF)  both in Royal Canadian Air Force colours.

Other aircraft there were Corsair FG1 KD345 (G-FGID), Nimrod 1 S1581 (G-BWWK), PA-18 Cub 54-2454 (D-ESMV), Gladiator N5903 (G-GLAD) and P-51B Mustang 43-24823 (N515ZB)

There were also a few civilian aircraft there including DHC-2 Beaver G-EVMK and DH-80A Puss Moth G-ABLS.

Dotted around the hanger were some restoration projects either underway, or waiting to be started. These included CR-42 Falco MM6976 of the Italian Air Force (G-CBLS), RAAF Beaufighter A19-144 and Walrus 1 X9556 (G-WLRS).

The final instalment, the Air and Space Hangar is next......